Water Lily
by gemsofformenos
Summary: Katara should be happy. The war is over and she has saved Zuko's life, but there was a stinging pain, since Mai has returned to Palace and now she felt more and more sick and miserable with every further day, until she started to cough out water lily petals.


**Hello everybody. ****Okay, this is my first try with Hanahaki Disease. Thanks to BellatrixLestrangey, for introducing me to this fictional disease.  
It is also my first story in the Avatar universe, which has a focus on Katara, so I hope I have done a good job in both cases. I wish all of you a lot of fun with this one here.**

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**Water Lily**

Katara remembered the first hard sting, when it had set roots in her. At this day, she had no idea, where this stinging pain came from, but it became obvious some days later, when her chest still felt tighter, than it should be. When this twisting and crawling feeling under her skin and in her guts started to torture her more and more.

Katara felt miserable, beside the fact, that they had won the war. The moment, when Zuko had opened opened his eyes, as she had healed him, had lifted her heart so high, only to get stabbed by the sight of Mai kissing him. No the kiss had initialized this pain, it has been the love in his eyes for Mai. The comfort and happiness, he was finding in her arms. She wasn't even really jealous, only terribly hurt. Not hurt by Mai, not even hurt by Zuko, she was hurt by the fact, that this love seemed to be right.

Her breathing got worse within the next days and the itchy and stinging pain under her skin and in her chest was slowly growing, making her feel helpless and lost, gnawing on her mood and on her strength. Her breath was strained and uneasy, rattled and pressed, mixed with an unhealthy whistling sound within the labored streams of air. She was paler, than usual and exhausted all the time.

Aang hasn't returned, yet and Zuko and Mai were worried about her, but she tried to smile away her pain. She started to stay in her room, alone, coughing for minutes, gasping for air, but it got only worse, every time Zuko and Mai, tried to find out, what was going on with her. She had no clue, where these pains came from, until the day, when she coughed out the first petals.

The cramping coughing had been the worst one of all days before. She felt like a lump was choking her sore throat and tears were pressed out of her red eyes, while she was desperately gasping for air, between her coughing and gurgling sounds. She was curled together to a jerking ball, deep red and violet in her face, as she finally coughed out the first handful of petals. Katara stared in shock at them. Long and beautiful petals of water lilies, soft and shiny as finest silk.

The waterbender stayed in her room, the next days, hoping, that the distance would ease the pain and would dry out the growing flower, but she got only sicker and weaker. She could feel the stems and roots wandering and shifting under her skin, grabbing and squeezing her veins and nerves. Her arms felt heavy and sore, too and her hands and feet were cold and unhealthy pale, like they were made of wax. She ignored Zuko's or Mai's knocking at her door and tried to muffle her coughs, which covered her bed with new layers of water lily petals.

One morning, Katara was standing on the balcony, trying to get warmed by the rising sun, when she spotted Appa in the sky, which made her heart cramp in shock and pain. The itchy tickling in her throat became unbearable and she stumbled back into her room, coughing and gasping for air. It was like the stalks started to tighten around her lungs and neck. She felt the painful tickle in her throat again and coughed out more of the soft and creamy pink petals. The truth hit her hard, with every new surge of this pink rain, she had to spit out on her bed and in her room. She felt the roots crawling under her skin, which let her breath quickened in panic. The fear to suffocate by an big leaf of the water lily or by this unhealthy amount of petals clawed her with sharp fangs. It was like someone was standing on her chest. She tried to cry for help, but a cloud of petals swallowed her voice. Her legs gave away under her weight and she felt on her bed, helpless cramping and kicking, while more and more petals covered her face, mouth and nose.

She saw Zuko and Aang storming into the room, followed by Mai. The shocked faces were burning in her heart, but it felt like the roots of the flower wanted to squeeze the life out of it, as Zuko an Mai wrapped their arms around each other for comfort, while their shocked and scared looks were resting on her. She felt Aang's soothing touch, but it couldn't stop the petals filling her lungs and mouth. She saw Mai turning away in horror and her heart got nearly ripped in pieces, as Zuko placed a kiss on her forehead. The pain was overwhelming as more and more pink petals filled the room.

She remembered the first hard sting in her heart, as the water lily has set roots in her. She could see this stinging pain in Aang's eyes, as he shared helpless and painful looks between Zuko and Katara, as he recognized, that his love wouldn't stop this torture. She saw the pain of another flower setting roots and it only tighten her chest even more, before another surge of petals filled the air, like a beautiful rain of soft pink.


End file.
